Drier



` April 6 1926.

w. ALLflNsoN A Damn Filed July :5o. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 6, 1926.115%;352

W. ALLINSON DRIERV Filed (my so. 1924 2 sheets-,sheet Patented y Apr. 6,1926.

UNITEDy STATES WILLIAM ALLINSON, F DES MOINES, IOWA.

DRIER.

Application led July 30, 1924. Serial No. 729,097,

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVTLLTAM ALLINsoN,

a citizen of the United States, and av resident of Des Moines, in thecounty of Polk and State of Iowa, have'invented a certain new anduseful- Drier, of which the follo\v ing is a'specification.

The objectof my invention is to provide a drier of the tumbler typ' usedin laundries and other places.

More particularly, it is my obj-ect to provide a drier of the kindmentioned of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

A further object is to provide such a drier having a reversible rotatingdrum or the like and means for supplying heated air thereto and drawingheated air therefrom, whereby the air passing the tumbler or rotatingdrum remainssubstantially at atmos heric pressure.

ore particularly, in this connection, it is my purpose to provide insuch a structure a tumbler arranged within a casing, means for forcingheated air into the casing, and means for drawing air ,from the casing.

A further object is to provide in such a machine means for regulatingtheflow of air, so as to-permit air to be moved simul taneously through thetumbler casing from the atmosphere and from a heater and for regulatingthe relative amounts of heated and fresh air. v

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists intheconstruction, arrangement and combination of thevarious parts of mydrier, whereby the objects con-.

templated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed outin my'claims, and illustrated in the accompanying .drawings, in which:v

Figure .1: shows aperspective view of a drier embodying my invention,parts being broken away.

Figure v2 shows a horizontal, sectional 45, view through 'the fans orpumps. Y Fi re 3 shows a vertical, sectionalV view through the drier,taken'from front to rear substantially at the middle of the drier; and

Figure 4 shows Aa perspective, detailed view, partly in section,illustrating one of the bearings or for the tumber shaft.

'compartments for fans or. pumps.

tion or wall 18, connecting the end walls Generally speaking, mystructure involves a compartment in which are mounted the rotating drumor tumbler, a compartment for steam heating pipes or the like, and Thegeneral arrangement is such that air may be forced by a fan through theheater compartment and thence throughthe tumbler compartment, and isalso suoli that one or more of the fans may be used for pulling the air:from the tumbler compartment.

In the, accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 toindicate generally the side walls of the device. The side walls areconnected at the rear of the device by a rear wall 11 and at the top andbottom by a top wall 12 and bottom wall 13 respectively.

, At the front of the device, a wall 14 is inclined downwardly andforwardly from the top 12, as shown.

From the lower edge of the inclined wall member 14, there extendsdownwardly a wall member 15 in which is a door 16.

-From the lower edge `of vthe wall portion 15, a casing or compartmentmember or wall 17 ,extends downwardly and rearwardly to the bottom wall13, The heater compartment and the tumbler compartment are separated bymeans of a connecting parti- 10 and inclined from its upper end near thetop of the device, but spaced from the top 12 downwardly and rearwardlyas shown. l

` Another partition member 19 extends from the lower edge of the wall orpartition 18 downwardly and forwardly to the bottom wall 12.4

A horizontal artition or wall 2O extends from the partition 19, as shownin Figure 3, rearwardly to the vrear wall -11 and extendsfrom side toside in the machine.

' It will thus beseen that there is provided by the walls 10, 12, 14,15, 17 18 and 19 a compartment A for the tumblers. There is rovided bythe'walls 10, 11, 12, 18, 19, an 20 'a compartment Bfor the heatingcoils, and by the walls 10, 11, 13, 19 and 20v a compartment C for thefans.

The compartment C is divided into three sub-compartmentsby verticalpartitions, 21 .l l6

d such compartments being at C1, C2 and C3 in Figure 2, the lattercompartments being those provided for the fans and fan casings.

A horizontal shaft 23 extends through the compartment C and thesub-compartments C1, C2 and C3, as shown in Figures 1, 2 andV 3,projecting from the main casing and having on one of its outer-ends agearing device, such for instance as the pulley 24.

Mounted on the shaft 23 within the subcompartment Chas shown in Figure2is a fan or pump device 25 received within a suitable casing 26, whichhas an opening 27 at the side and a passage 28 projecting through therear wall 11.

A similar pump or fan 25a is mounted ony the shaft 23 in thesub-compartment Cain a similar casing-26a. The casing 26a is providedwith a side opening 27a and a rear outlet passage 28a similar to theopening 27 and passage 28.

In the sub-compartment C2, there is mounted on the shaft 23 a similarfan or pump 29 in a casing 30, having an intake opening 3l at its sideand having a passage 32 extending upwardly through the partition 20 forthe passage of air from the subcompartment C2 to the heater compartmentIn the compartment B, I provide a suitable heating element, which mayconsist of the steam coils 34. Y

In the compartment A is a oraminous cage or tumbler 35 supported on ashaft 36 mounted in boxings or bearings 37, as shown in Figure 4, .andhaving on one end outside the main casing a gearing device, such forinstance'as the pulley 38.

The tumbler 35 is preferably made of a frame with screen wire or thelike thereon and may be octagonal in cross section, as

shown in Figure 3.

It has an ordinary door 39 for permitting access to its interior. V

In the top l2 above the compartment A is an opening 40.

It will be noted that `the wall 18 terminates at its upper edge belowthe top 12, thus leaving an opening or passage between the compartmentsB and A.

Hingedly supported, as for instanceon the top 12, is a closure member 41adapted to. be moved to `avariety of positlons, where it will closeeither the opening between .the compartments B and A or the one of theside walls 10 and has a handle 47 on its outer end.

Any suitable vdevice 48 may be provided for holding the handle 47 indifferent positlons of its adjustment.

The lower tapered portion of the comparti ment A has openings 49 for.providing communlcation between such compartment and the respectivecompartments C1 and C3. (See Figures l and 2.)

In the wall 17 opposite each opening 49 1s. an opening 50, as shown forinstance in Figure 1, for which there is provided a sliding closuremember 51, illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

In the practical use of my improved drier, the clothes are put into .thetumbler 35 through the doors 16 and 39. The fans are' operated from somesuitable source of power, and the tumbler isrotated.

Ordmarlly for the irst part of the drying process, the closure members51 are closed,

the door 45 is opened, and the closure member 41 is moved to positionfor substantially closing the opening 40.V

Y The central fan or pump 29 will draw air through the passage 33 andthe opening 3l inV the side of the :tan casing, and discharge the airthrough the passage 32 forcing it'through the compartment B, around theheating coils 34 through the opening between the partition 18 and the,top 12 into the tumbler compartment A.

The fans or pumps 25 and 25 cause suction in the lower part of thecompartment A and draw the air through the openings 49 into thecompartment C1 and C3 and through the fan casings 26 and 26 for discharging it through the passages 52, which may be connected with theoutside of the building or otherwise, as may be desired.

My improved tumbler has a number of advantageous features ofconstruction forming desirable functions.

By Yusing both blower and suction fans, I am enabled to maintain the airin the tumbler as nearly at atmospheric pressure as possible.

I find this desirable because it dries the clothes by contact withmoving air, leaving the clothes in natural condition instead ofcompartment and discharged at any therein communicating with the tumblercoml.baking them as is done where a pressure pump only is em loyed.

By providin t 1e suction fans and blower fan as herein s iown andarranging the open-y of the'tumbler casingis tapered, as shown,`

and the openings are arranged, as disclosed in the drawings, we findthat the lint is readily and easily drawn from the tumbler compartment,so that the device remains as eilicient so far as lint is concerned atthe end of the'year as it is at the beginning.

The lint is simply drawn from the tumbler suitable point.

There is an advantage in the octagonal cylinder here shown over a roundcylinder in that the clothes are truly tumbled with a rather gentlemovement instead of being dropped a considerable distance or, beat. Thebuttons are not broken and the clothes are taken out in naturalcondition soft and loose.

Some changes may be made inthe construction and arrangement of theVvarlous parts of my `drier, Without departing from the essentialfeatures and purposes of my invention, and it is my intention to coverby my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanicalequivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope. Iclaim as my invention:

1. In a drier, a casing having 'a front ytumbler compartment, a tumblertherein, a rear upper Vheater com artment, a heater partment, rear lowerpump compartments tumbler compartment.

communicating with thevtumbler compartment and the heater lcompartmentrespecf tively, pumps in said pump compartments, and means forregulating the action of the ypumps for determining the pressure -in the2. `In a device of t-he class described,.-a tumbler compartment, atumbler therein, a heater compartment communicating with thetumblercompartment, means for forcing air through the heater compartmentinto the tumbler compartment, said tumbler compartmenthaving a passageextending through but vnot communicating with the tumbler y compartmentfor supplying air;J vto said means.

Most tumblers are ob-4 3. In a device of the class described, a tumblercompartment, a tumbler therein, a heater compartment communicating withthe tumbler compartment, means for forcing air through the heatercompartment into the tumbler compartment, said tumbler compart- I nenthaving a passa-ge extending through but not communicating with thetumbler compartment for supplying air to said means, and means fordrawing air from the tumblercompartment. l

4.111 a device of the class described, a tumbler compartment, a tumblertherein, a heater compartment communicating with the tumblercompartment, means for forcing air through the heater compartment intothe tumbler compartment, said tumbler compartment having a passageextending through but not communicating with the tumbler compartment forsupplying air to said means, and means for drawing air from the tumblercompartment Ysubstantially across the tumbler compartment from the partthereof which communicates with the heater compartment.

5. In a device ofthe class described, a

tumbler compartment, a tumbler therein, a y

heater compartment communicating with -the tumbler compartment, meansfor forcing air through the heater compartment into the tumblercompartment, said tumbler compartment having y a passage extendingthrough but not communicatingwith the tubular compartment for supplyingair to said means, and means for controlling the passage of air from theheater compartment to the tumbler compartment.

6. In a device of the class described, a tumbler compartment, a tumblertherein, a heater compartment communicating with the tumblercompartment, means for forcing air through. the lheater compartment intothe tumbler compartment and a passage extending through but notcommunicating with the tumbler compartment for suppling air tol saidmeans, and means for closing said passage.

7. In a drier, a casing having afront tumbler compartment, a tumblertherein, a rear upper heater compartment, a heater therein communicatingwith the tumbler compartment, rear -lower pump compartmentscommunicating with the tumbler compartment and the heater` compartmentrespectively, pumps in said pump compartments.

8. In a device of the class described, a tumbler casing having a`tapered bottom, a tumbler in saidl casing, means for forcing air intothe upper portion of said casing, and means for drawing air from thelower tapered portion of the casing, whereby air is supplied to thetumbler at approximately atmospheric pressure and lint is readily drawnfrom the tumbler casing.

9. In a device of the class described,

" tumbler compartment, a pump compartment tumbler compartment having atapered botdiVided by partitions into a plurality of tom, a tumbler insaid compartment, means 10 l separate compartments, a plurality of pumpsfor drawing air from the lower part of said mounted in said separatecompartments ona tapered compartment at a plurality of 5 single shaft,said pumpsfbeing arranged to points.

respectively force air into the tumbler com- Des Moines, Iowa, June 11,1924. partment and draw air therefrom.

io. In e device ef the dass described, e vuHLrdAlvr ALLINsoN.

